Can-body machine.



' PATENTEI) MAY 19, 1908. J. 0. STRIGKLER.

CAN BODY MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20,1907

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 A TTORNE Y.

N0. 888,202. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

J G STRICKLER CAN BODY MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 20, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR 16.

WITNESSES:

jzza/pflw ma 1W A TTOBJVEY PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

J G STRIGKLER CAN BODY MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IN VENTOR.

w MR

I g4 15. 4 M

374v, ATTORNEY.

lln lllk W BY WITNESSS: {FM Z/ %/z/ JOHN C. STRICKLER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-BODY MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed. May 20;1907. Serial No. 374,559.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. STRICKLER, a citizen of Switzerland, residing'at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in (an-Body Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for making can bodies, the object of the invention being to provide a machine of this character by which the blanks for bodies are rolled into a cylindrical form and their edges are then immediately caused to snap into grooves or guideways, which confine said edges as the blanks are advanced by the machine; and a further object is to provide in such a machine improved means for moistening the edges of the blank with acid or other fluxprior to soldering.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a machine which will be chea and simple in construction and rapid and efficient in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isa side view'of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 1s a perspective view of the sizing shell and body guard; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the former; Fig. 5 is an end view; Figs. 6. '7, 8, 9, are transverse sections on the lines 6-6, 7-7, 88, 9--9, respectively of Fig. 2; Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail of the seaming dies; Fig. 1]. is a broken vertical sectional view of one of the cams.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable frame, formed at the top with a channel way 2, for an endless carrier 3, said carrier traveling around hexagonal rollers 4, 5, the roller 4 at the front end being mounted on a shaft 6 and being intermittently advanced by means of a wheel 7, having formed therein six dee radial recesses 8, said wheel being adjustab y secured, by bolts 9 passing through slots 10, to a plate or disk 11 which is mounted on said shaft 6. The recesses 8 are adapted to be engaged in turn by one or the other of a pair of rollers 12, mounted diametrically opposite to each other'on the outs de of a gear wheel 13 on a stud shaft 14 driven by a pinion 15 on a shaft 16 driven by a pulley 17 from. any suitable source of power. By this means, from the continuous rotary motion of the shaft 16 an intermittentrotary motion is given to the shaft 6 and an intermittent advance to the endless carrier.

The blanks for the can bodies are fed transversely to the machine by means ofia guideway 18 having walls 19, and secured to brackets 27 mounted on the frame of the machine, by which guideway said blanks are caused to pass upper and lower plates 20, 21, the upper plate 20 being secured by screws 22 to an angle-plate 23, secured a justably asto its vertical position to a longitudinal block 24 secured at its ends to two arms 25 pivoted at 28 on the brackets 27. By this means said block and the parts attached thereto can be swung upwards and to one side to expose the parts below the same. The lower plate 21 forms one side of a former or guide piece 29, which is secured by screws 30 to a die bar 31, said bar extending the length of the machine and serving to support at suitable intervals the parts for operating upon the can body. The transverse members 32 of each link 28 of the carrier is formed with a central recess 33 adapted to receive said bar, so that said member moves along the machine in contact with said bar. The blank having been guided between said u er and lower plates 20, 21, is then directed between two horizontal rollers 34, 35, the upper roller 34 being mounted in the swinging arms 25 which support the block 24 and the lower roller 35 being mounted in the brackets 27 upon which said arms are ivoted, Said roll ers are both positively riven by means of gear wheels 36, 37, which mesh with each other, the lower gear wheel 37 being on a shaft 38 carrying a pinion 39 driven by a gear wheel 40 on the cam shaft 41, having thereon a bevel gear 42 driven by a bevel gear 43 on the main driving shaft 16. This arrangement permits the tworollers to be positively driven while at the same time the upper roll can be readil raised with the swinging arms. The blan cs are given a slight concave curvature downwards by ieason of the direction in which they are passed between said rollers 34, 35, and said curvature is increased by said blanks being forced by the rollers against the underside of a sloping plate 45, which is secured to an angle plate 46, adjustably secured by means of screws 47 through slots therein to the block 24. The blank being givenin this way aconcave curvature the front edge thereof is passed down in the link 28, past the rounded surface of the former piece 29, and within the concave or. trough-shaped body-guard 48, which is curved so as to confine .the advancing ed e'of the blank and direct it against the and ersideof the lower plate; The guide piece of which said lower plate forms a part is made with two oppositely disposed halfrounded grooves 49, 50, the upper groove 49 being adapted. to receive the rear edge of the blank and the lower groove 50 to receive the front edge thereof. These grooves form an important part of my invention. When the front edge of the blank is directed upwards it is forced into the lower groove ,50 and the spring of the metal of the rear edge, as it leaves the rollers 34, 35, causes said rear edge to spring into the upper groove 49.

The can body has now been'bent into a substantially cylindrical form, with its edges 'in the (grooves 49, 50.- These grooves are supplie with acid from an acid reservoir 54, from which reservoir conduits 55 lead to cavities 56 formed in the lower plate and in the guide plate, from which cavities the acid is fed by small conduits 57 to the grooves 49, 50.- 'By this means said grooves are kept supplied with acids, andthereby the edges of the blanks are moistened with acid and brightened for soldering. These conduits enteri said grooves at the front ends, the object of this arrangement being to insure that the front or advancing ends of the edges of the blank are moistened with the acid or other flux, and it is thereby also insured that the whole length of each edge is so moistened, since it is necessary for the whole of said edge to pass through the front' portion of the groove in its movement in the machine. It will be observed that the entrance into each groove for the edge of the can body blank is by means of comparatively. narrow inter-v stices or slits; this insures that a sufficient quantity of acid will be contained within the groove, and that the space within said groove shall be sufiiciently arger than the space occupied by the edge of the blank, and it also prevents the escape of the acid from the oove both when theledge of the blank is inserted thereinto, and when the entrance to 45 the groove is unobstructed. Theblank is new advanced by the intermittent motion of the carrier to the next part of the machine, which is particularly shown in Figs. 7 and .10 -In so doing the groove 50 in the former guides the lower or front edge of the blank into a groove 58 in a die 59, said die having formed therein, immediately below said groove, a recess 60. At the same time the groove 49 in the former guides the upper or rear edge over the upper surface of said die and into a groove, 61, formed in a'plate 62 adjustably secured to a head 63 secured upon the u per end of a cam lever 64 which is actuated y a cam 65 on the cam shaft 41. By the operation'of this cam, said plate 62 is caused to' descend, which has the efiect of forcing the rear edge of the blank down past a shoulder 66 on the die, thereby making a hook-shaped bend in said edge, and at the same time a 65 tongue 67 formed on said plate 62 bears against the lower edge of the blank and forces it into the recess 60, thereby forming a hooleshaped bend in this edge also.

The tongue 67 is substantially in contact with the shoulder 66 only at the front or ad' vancing portion thereof, the rear portion of the tongue being more remote from the shoulder. The object of this construction is to leave room for the edge of the blank between the recessed portion of said tongue. and 5 said shoulder. Upon the outer side of the plate 62 is secured a guide 97, the purpose of which is to give a sharp edge to the hook formed over the shoulder 66.

68 indicates a shell, the function of which 50 is to completely fill the can body at the time of locking and uniting its edges. It is supported by inwardly extending flanges 69 of the shell resting on shoulders 70 formed on the transverse members of the carrier, and is 35 secured against longitudinal movement by its rear end being secured, as shown in Fig. 3, to the body-guard 48. The shell is reduced in diameter beneath the rollers'for bending the blank for two reasons, first, in order that '90 the can blank may move freely along the shall at the point where it is not necessary to completely fill the cylinder formed by the blank, and, secondly, this portion of the shell is not intended to be removed, and is always maintained in position notwithstanding the fact that various sizes of can bodies are made upon the machine. Around said shell, beneath the part of the machine where the locking of the ed es of the can body is to be effected, is a shell section 72, which is normally pressed close to the shell 71 by means of coiledsprings 73 around screws 74 screwed into the shell 71, said springs being compressed between said shell 71 and the heads of said screws. Upon the upwardly facin edges of the shell section 72 are forme humps 75 spaced apart the distance between two adjacent transverse members 32 of the carrier. The parts are so arranged that, at the time the locking is effected, two transverse members of the carrier are on these humps, thereby forcing the shell section downwards or outwards against the action of said springs, the effect bein to completely fill the can body, and hold it in the best posi- .tion for effecting the junction of the hookshaped edges of said body. When the transverse members of the links pass onwards, said humps are released therefrom, and the shell section moves upward under the action of the springs.

The can body thus filled out is pressed down upon a bumping plate 76 in which is a groove 87 for receiving the hooks on the edges of the blanks for seaming, and which is recessed at the middle of its under side, as shown at 77, and is supported only at its outer edges on the links of the carrier, the

effect of this being to transmit the pressure of the bumper to said links at oints as near thereby permitting said links to be made as light'as possible, while capable of withstanding'the pressure of thebumper. The pressure on the can b'ody is produced by means of plates 79, which are movably held to a block 80 suspended by rods 81 from a lever 82, said plates being depressed by means of springs 83 around said rods; Thus said plates exert a-constant pressure upon the can body or blank, and hold it down to the former, thereby, with the former, acting as a brake against the movement of the carrier and insurin that both edges of the blank register wit each other as to their longitudinal and transverse positions. The hook-shaped edges of the blank being now in position, enga ing each other, the cam lever 82 is actuated by its cam 85, thereby depressing the bumping block 80, which presses the two edges together. By pivoting the cam levers 64 and 82 at the'side of the machine, and to one side of the channel 2, so that the levers eirtend over the channel, and the devices carried thereby successively operate on a can body advanced in saidchannel, it is possible to inspect at all times the can bodies as they pass along, and also the die and bumper plate cooperatin with the devices carried by the levers. T e can is now advanced to the position where it is soldered, and the seam of the can body passes beneath the soldering iron and then beneath the valve through which the solder drops. Then for greater certainty it passes beneath a second soldering iron and is then againsupplied with solder. The can body is then discharged from the machine. The function of the guidepiece '29 is to guide the advancing edge of the blank into the space between the shell and the outer bodyguard 48., 1

I claim 1. In a can body machine, the combination, with upper and lower rollers, means for guiding a can body blank therebetween and a plate arranged to deflect and curve a can body blank passing through' said rollers, of a uide having grooves arranged to receive the ront and rear edges of the can body blank, said guide being provided with an under surface ada ted to guide the advancin edge of the can od blank into one of sai grooves as said blan leaves said rollers, having also a groove arranged beneath the lower roller, and having surfaces adapted to guide the rear ed e of the blank into said latter groove as the lank leaves the rollers, substantially as described.

2. A can body machine, comprising u per and lower rollers means for guiding the bihnk between said rollers, and a plate arranged to deflect and curve a can body passing through said'rollers and a guide having formed therein upper and lower grooves, and having a surface arranged to guide the front or advancing edge of the blank into the lower groove, the upper groove being arranged beneath the lower roller, said rollers and the guidin means for the blank being, so conormec as to impart to said blank a curvature suflicient to cause its rear edge to spring into said upper groove upon leaving the guiding means, substantially as described.

3;' In acan body machine, in combination with upper and lower rollers a plate arranged to deflect and curve a can bod blank passing throu b said rollers for benr ing. a b ank, a guide aving integral therewith a-lower 1dlng plate for guiding the blank to the re lens, said guide having therein a groove to receive the front or advancing edge ofthecan body blank, and the guide plate havin a oove to receive the rear edge of said b an substantially as described.

4. In a can body machine, the cbmbination, with means for bendin a can body blank into an approximate y cylindrical form, of an element formed with grooves-to receive respectively the adjacent parallel edges only of said blank when so bent, a reservoir for a flux, and conduits leading frdm said reservoir to said grooves, substantially as described.

5. In a can body machine, the combination, with means for bendin blank into an a proximately ey indrical form, of an element fdrmed with grooves to receive respectively the adjacent arallel edges only of said blank, a reservoir or a flux, and conduits leading from said reservoir to the front ends of said grooves, substantially as described. i

6.- In a can body machine, the combination, with means for bending a can Body blank, of an element formed with grooves to 7 receive the edges ofsaid blank when so'bent, a reservoir for a flux, and conduits 183G235,

from said reservoir to said grooves, s grooves having comparatively narrow interstices for the passage of the blankedges thereinto, substantially as described.

7. In a can body machine, the combination of a lon itudinal die for an edge of'a embody blank, aving'a fixed groove or the ex treme edge of said-blank, and a fixed recess arranged to underlie the edge of: the blank entering said groove, said die also having a shoulder, and a plate having a recess adapted {10 receive the other edge ofthe blank, and

avln

ing said plate, to cause said tongue and-second named recess to move in unison, the tongue to enter said recess, and to cause the recess to pass said shoulder, substantially as described.

8. In a can body machine the combination of a die having a shoulder, a plate havin a tongue adjacent to said shoulder, an

a tongue adapted to enter the first name recess, and means for suitably movtongue enters said die, the lower or.advancing portion of said tongue beinglarranged to be substantially in contact wit said shoulder while the plate is so moved, while the upper or rear part of the tongue is more remote substantially as. described.

therefrom.

9. In a can body machine, the combination with the die having a groove and a recess beneath said groove and having also a shoul-' der, of a late movable adjacent to said shoulder, "an a former having grooves for the edges of the blank, one ofsaid grooves being arranged to guide said edge into the groove of the die, substantially as described. ..10. In a can body machine, the combination with rollers for bending the blank, and a die and plate for forming the hooks of said blank, of a shell having an enlarged ortion beneath said die to fill the blank ant a por tion reduced in diameter beneath said rollersaround Which the blank is bent, a carrier for advancing the blank, and means for securing pass into said links in succession, substantially as described.

12. In a can body machine, the combination of links forming an endless carrier,

' rollers and co-acting device for bending the can body, and means for intermittently advancing the carrier, said'means being so ar ranged that each link in turn is brought beneath said rollers, said links being open to tion with a suitable bumping can bodyblank, a bumping device for securpermit the can'body blanks to ,be bent and to pass'into said links in. succession, and sta- 'tionary inner and outer parts for suitably guiding each blank so bent within a link, substantially as described.

13. In a can body machine, in combina plate for the ing together the hook-shapededges of the blank, comprising a block and; means for reciprocating said block to and from said bumping plate, side plates slidably secured upon the block, and springs for normally depressing said side plates upon the bumping plate, whereby said side plates also act as j rakes to. control the advance of: the blank,

14;. In a can body machine, in combina tion with a bumping device'for securing together the hooked edges'of the canbody, i.

blank, links forming an endless carrier and having transverse members, and a bumping plate supporting the canbody' blank, while being so bumped, said plate resting at its edges only upon said transverse members, substantially as described.

15. In a'can body machine, the-combination of a bumper for uniting the hook-shaped edges of a can body, links forming an endless carrier for advancing the can body, a 'shell section suitably arranged relatively to said bumper, and springs for normally contracting said shell section, said section being formed with humps adapted to be engaged by said links as the latter advance to expand said shell section against the action of said springs, substantially as described.

16. In a canbody machine, the combination of links forming'an. endless carrier, and means for supporting the same, and a bump in su stantially as described.

' 17. In a can body machine, the combination of links forming an endless carrier, and means for supporting the" same, a bumping plate' supported directly on the links, and a sizing shell suspended from thelinks, substantially as described. P

18. In a can body machine, the combination withlinks forming an endless carrier, of,

a die bar supported by..said links, a guide piece, a die, a bumping late, and a soldering latesecured in the or er named on said die ar, and devices respectively co-acting With said members so secured.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' V v "JOHN G. STRICKLER- Witnesses: I FRANCIS M. WRIGHT; D.-B. RICHARDS.

plate supported directly on the links, 

